Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watson Top Men's Favourite List of 'Bromances'

New study reveals over three quarters of US and UK men have had a ‘bromance’

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson top the list of favourite ‘bromances’

86% of guys in US and UK are currently in or have had a ‘bromance’ in the past

56% of men say their ‘bromance’ causes problems with other people in their life

Over one in ten (15%) of people’s partners are jealous of their ‘bromance’

14th February 2012 : A new survey commissioned by Badoo, the world’s largest social network for meeting new people, today reveals the extent to which men have embraced the ‘bromance’ phenomenon (a close relationship with someone of the same sex). Inspired by characters in film and TV, the recent remakes of Sherlock Holmes have caused the Baker Street duo to top the list of favourite bromances of all time.

It’s not just recent movies that offer bromance inspiration - Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid take the second spot in the US and UK and other favourite bromances include a mixture of classic and more modern duos including; Joey and Chandler (Friends); Frodo and Sam (Lord of the Rings); Harry Potter and Ron Weasley (Harry Potter) and JD and Turk (Scrubs).

Real Life Bromances

In real life, men both sides of the Atlantic are embracing the bromance with over three quarters (86%) of men admitting to currently having a very close friendship with someone of the same sex or having had one in the past. Guys in the US are more comfortable with these special friendships with three quarters (75%) of them being part of bromances at one time or another, in comparison to almost two thirds of Brits (62%).

However, bromances don’t come without their problems and it’s likely that they will cause their fair share of heartache this St Valentine’s Day. Over half (56%) of men in the US and UK say they cause problems with other people in their life and over one in ten (15%) partners get jealous of their beau’s bromance. It’s unsurprising since nearly a third (28%) of people admit to having ‘the most fun they have with anyone’ with their bromance partner and, just like Holmes and Watson, over one in ten (13%) are often mistaken to be more than just friends.

Romance Kills A Bromance

It seems romantic relationships, marriage and co-habiting play a key part in the death of a bromance. Almost a third of single guys in the UK and US are currently in a bromance, but this figure drops to less than a quarter for people that are married or co-habiting (23% and 24% respectively).

Bromances tend to tail off around the age of 34 for Brits and 44 for Americans and both countries show a gradual climb in the proportion of people who have never had such a special friendship increasing with age – this suggests this type of friendship is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Lloyd Price, a spokesperson for Badoo.com, which carried out the study, commented: “It’s interesting to see just how important these friendships are to guys both in the UK and the US. Everyone always talks about relationships and dating – but actually a bromance buddy is also really important to men.

Badoo.com offers people the chance to meet someone that’s like minded – whether that’s for bromance or romance this St Valentine’s. ”